Chapter 1

Introduction

1 Paul, aan apostle (bnot sent from men nor through the agency of man, but cthrough Jesus Christ and God the Father, who draised Him from the dead),

2 and all athe brethren who are with me,

To bthe churches of Galatia:

3 aGrace to you and peace from 1God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4 who agave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from bthis present evil 1age, according to the will of cour God and Father,

5 ato whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Perversion of the Gospel

6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting aHim who called you 1by the grace of Christ, for a bdifferent gospel;

7 which is really not another; only there are some who are adisturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we, or aan angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel 1contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be 2baccursed!

9 As we ahave said before, so I say again now, bif any man is preaching to you a gospel 1contrary to what you received, he is to be 2caccursed!

10 For am I now aseeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bbond-servant of Christ.

Paul Defends His Ministry

11 For aI would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is bnot according to man.

12 For aI neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a brevelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of amy former manner of life in Judaism, how I bused to persecute cthe church of God beyond measure and dtried to destroy it;

14 and I awas advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my 1countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my bancestral traditions.

15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and acalled me through His grace, was pleased

16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might apreach Him among the Gentiles, bI did not immediately consult with 1cflesh and blood,

17 anor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to bDamascus.

18 Then athree years later I went up bto Jerusalem to 1become acquainted with cCephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except 1aJames, the Lord’s brother.

20 (Now in what I am writing to you, 1I assure you abefore God that I am not lying.)

21 Then aI went into the regions of bSyria and cCilicia.

22 I was still unknown by 1sight to athe churches of Judea which were bin Christ;

23 but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching athe faith which he once btried to destroy.”

24 And they awere glorifying God 1because of me.